Pakistan on Monday conferred the prestigious civilian award Hilal-i-Quaid-i-Azam on US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher at a special ceremony here, GEO TV reported.

Pakistan on Monday conferred the prestigious civilian award Hilal-i-Quaid-i-Azam on US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher at a special ceremony here, GEO TV reported.

President Asif Ali Zardari conferred the award on Boucher for his services to Pakistan at a special investiture ceremony held at Aiwan-e-Sadr, the report said.

The citation read out on the occasion said: "As Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Ambassador Boucher has been instrumental in promoting a stable, broad-based and long-term Pakistan-US relationship."

"Boucher has been visiting Pakistan frequently for deepening bilateral cooperation in diverse areas as well as promoting shared objectives for regional peace, stability and prosperity," it added.

Boucher thanked the Pakistan government for conferring the prestigious award on him.